Iowa Old Press

Hawk Eye
Burlington, Des Moines co. Iowa
April 27, 1858

Found Guilty - An Interesting Murder Trial
We are indebted to T.B. Perry, Esq., of this place, who was present at the
trial, for the following facts in regard to the trial of Wm. Hinkle, for
poisoning his wife in Bloomfield in March, 1856.  The facts in the case, as
shown by the testimony on trial, are substantially as follows:

A short time before the death of Mrs. Hinkle, she had been confined, but was
recovering her health very rapidly.  A week of more prior to her death, Mr.
H. applied to a druggist for the purchase of some strychnine, for the
purpose, as he said, of killing rats.  He was advised to use arsenic
instead, but declined, saying that he had tried arsenic, and it was of no
avail.  He was furnished the strychnine and nothing more was thought of the
matter at the time.  On the day on which the murder occurred Mr. H. had just
returned from a trip to the country, and found his wife feeling quite well
and in good spirits.

There were present at the time a servant girl named Linda Fisk, and Mrs.
Tull, a neighbor woman, who had called in to see how Mrs. H. was getting
along.  Mrs. Hinkle complained of being thirsty, and her husband told her
that he would fix her up a potion which he brought to her to drink.  She
took it, tasted of it and spit it out, remarking that it was very bitter.
Her husband replied that he had not tasted of it and did not know, but
requested her to drink some more -- She did so, and he then returned to the
pantry and mixed up some more, of which he, the witness, Mrs. Tull, and the
servant girl partook.  This the witness says tasted sweet.  Witness does not
know whether he used the same vessel as he did for that which he mixed for
Mrs. H., or not.  Mrs. H. soon complained of feeling cold in her feet and
requested them to rub them with camphor, and soon after showed symptoms of
going into spasms, her muscles contracting in a violent manner.  Mrs. Tull
left the house to call in a neighboring woman to her assistance, but when
she returned she found Mrs. H. dead, she having died in her absence.  Her
sudden death excited considerable remark at the time, but it was supposed to
be a spasm incident to her condition, and she was buried without any
suspicions having been created.  A short time after her death rumors began
to be current that all was not right, which suspicion was greatly increased
by the statement of the druggist, who related the circumstance of the
purchase of strychnine by Hinkle.  This roused the suspicion to such a pitch
that the body was exhumed and a post mortem examination held upon it; all
the organs appeared to be in a healthy condition until they came to the
stomach, upon which two dark colored spots were visible.  The stomach was
preserved and taken to a chemist at Keokuk, who analyzed its contents and
found that it contained strychnine.

Upon this evidence Hinkle was arrested, and held for trial.  Public feeling
being so high in Davis Co., he was taken on a change of venue to Wapello,
from whence another change was granted to Appanoose, where his trail came
off before Judge Townsend, at the April term of the court, at Centreville,
and resulted in his being found guilty of murder in the first degree.  The
date fixed for his execution we have not yet learned; there being some talk
of carrying his case up to the Supreme Court.  The causes which prompted him
to commit the deed are not known.

During the trial, he is said throughout to have manifested the utmost
indifference, amounting almost to stoicism. -- Albia Republican.

-Transcribed by S.F. July 2005